As the war in Iraq reaches its final phases, attention is shifting to other fronts in the Middle East. None is more important than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.S. President George W. Bush promised to push for peace in the region after the Baghdad government fell. While some doubt his determination to enforce that pledge, the U.S. president would do well to honor it. U.S. efforts to procure a real and enduring peace among Israelis and Palestinians will be more important to the future of the Middle East than the war in Iraq.
Despite efforts by the Iraqi leadership to use the language of Palestinian self-determination to win popular support, the links between Iraq and the Palestinians have been always been tenuous. Nonetheless, the "Arab street" has tied the two together, arguing that the United States has punished Baghdad while ignoring similar behavior in Israel. Thus, U.S. credibility in the region will ultimately be determined as much by Washington's willingness to push Israel to make peace with the Palestinians as by its occupation of Iraq.
Prior to the war, the U.S. had said it was prepared to endorse a "road map" drawn up by a diplomatic Gang of Four -- the U.S., Russia, the European Union and the United Nations -- outlining a set of reciprocal measures that will lead to the formation of a Palestinian state. The details of the road map itself have not been made public, but to be credible, it must include an end to Palestinian violence as well as a halt to Israeli settlements and the likely dismantling of some. The real challenge is in determining how that process will unfold.